Stars Can't Shine Without Darkness
by InfintyTheFella
Summary: Hiccup's world seems to be slipping away from him, and he can't control it no matter how many problems there is. But when a mysterious stranger comes barging into his life, nothing will ever be the same...
1. Prologue

**Hai! I'm InfinityTheFella (as you already might know). This is my very first story on this account and I am really, really, really, hoping it turns out great. Right at the moment, I am just posting the prologue to the story to get readers... _intrigued_ , as you might say? Though don't worry, the first chapter shall be up no longer than a day and a half. So without further ado, enjoy the preview! Ayy, see what I did there? **

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_I didn't listen. I didn't listen to any of them, but I still went anyway._

 _The night got colder as I trekked up the mountainous slopes of the island. Every step was a struggle to take as Vegg Av Død got nearer._

 _Cuts, scrapes, and bruises covered my skin as a result of managing to make it past the jagged rocks._

 _After the torturous journey, I was standing face to face with the helish phenomenon. It was bigger than I ever imagined it to be. A burning smell invaded my nostrils when I inhaled. It was suffocating._

 _I took a couple steps forward to feel the thick, black, fog when a ear-piercing screech filled the air. Too stubborn to run, I grab a small dagger from my belt to defend myself._

 _The screech ceased at once. There was no sound except for my heavy breathing._

 _Fear filled me when I heard fast movement coming towards me inside the fog. All too soon, I screamed and squirmed as I was dragged into the hot and humid heat of Vegg Av_ _Død._

 _A claw ran across my face, striking my right eye. The pain was too overwhelming to handle, making me fall unconscious against the moving ground..._


	2. The Discovery

**Hai again! Sooooo... I know I kind of said that this would be up in like a day buuuut a minor inconvenience prevented me from doing so that _totally_ didn't involve me accidentally deleting the whole entire chapter from existence, going through a little rampage to try and locate a file that is no longer in existence, reluctantly tried to re-type it by trying to remember what I typed but failing to do so, then decided to completely change the entire chapter to something different in the span of 4 days... or nothing. BUT, I can assure you guys that the next chapter will be up in a week or two. Definitely before Christmas. For sure.**

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The night was cold and calm. Not a single sound was heard as the village slept peacefully. It was this time of year that all the wildlife in the forest had gone to hibernate for the following winter months. As the village was assumed asleep, one particular Viking strolled through the quiet forest.

Hiccup was unable to enjoy the warmth of his bed, to the reasons unknown. It had been hard for him to focus on anything the past few days. Maybe it was because the atmosphere of Berk has been… off. He just hoped his mind wasn't getting the best of him.

He look up through the evergreen trees. It was a beautiful night. Not a single cloud in the sky to cover the millions of stars. He felt lucky to be able to experience a nice walk without the fear of being lost in a blizzard of snow. After a while, he decided to cease his stroll and get back home.

As he trekked through the snow, stepping in his previous footprints, his eyes shifted off the trail to find another trail of tracks that he didn't notice before. He changed course and ventured over to investigate.

Hiccup expected for the footprints to be from a day or so ago, but surprisingly, they were new. Someone had just came through here.

 _Who could be out here so late?_ He hesitantly began to follow the trail to wherever it lead.

Eventually, he began to doubt that he would even cross ways with the person, and decided to head back. That was when he seen and unusual color in the snow. Coming closer, his eyes widened in realization.

It was blood. Lots of it. And it was everywhere.

Hiccup stumbled back in horror. He had never seen anything like this. _Someone could be hurt._ Calming himself down, he began searching around for a source of the blood, but nothing was around. Except a line of it leading deeper into the trees. He didn't hesitate to follow the blood and soon found himself breaking out into a run.

He ran as fast as his leg could carry him, slipping and sliding the whole way. Just as his lungs became to burn, he skidded to a stop when he came to the clearing of the Cove. It seemed peaceful, disregarding the current situation.

He scanned the area for any signs of someone. But surprisingly, the trail stopped where he stood. There were no footprints either. Only was there a glimpse of an object that caught his eye near the lake. It was barely visible, seeming to have blended in with the snow.

Hiccup slowly walked towards it. The closer he got, the more he could see the different colors that shined from it in the moonlight. _This must've been from-_

"Hiccup!"

He yelped at the sudden break of silence and whirled around to see Heather. She had been following him… or he thought she had. Whatever the reason she was here, she looked very distraught.

"Hiccup, what are you doing?" She asked.

"I- I, uh…" Hiccup fumbled with his words. He didn't really have an explanation to why he was out here. But his lack of an answer obviously made Heather irritated.

"I'm not going to ask you again. What are you doing out here? And to add to that," she waved her arms behind her, "What happened back there?"

He shrugged. "Heather I don't know what happened. That's what I'm trying to find out."

"You were literally the only one out here while everyone else is most likely sleeping. How could you not have heard anything?" She had raised her voice a little and that made Hiccup flinch. Something had to have made her angry before this. She's hardly ever like this.

Before she could say anything else, a loud, piercing screech sounded around them. They both covered their ears to try and block it out, but it was too loud. The noise continued for a few seconds before stopping abruptly. Then followed a loud boom that shook the ground, making them fall into the snow.

It was quiet after that. So quiet that the event that just happened, seemed to be a dream.

Hiccup turned to Heather, and to his surprise, she had the look of terror on her face.

"What… was that?" She whispered.

He didn't answer. He himself didn't even know what it was.

Heather suddenly stood up and made her way towards the edge of the trees. "Come on," She said over her shoulder, "We need to go tell your dad."

"Wait, what? No!" Hiccup quickly stood, catching up with her, and grabbed her arm.

"This is a serious situation. He needs to know about it so he can take care of it."

"N-no. I mean..." He sighed, "If he finds out that I was out here when this happened, it'll all be put on me."

"Hiccup, he's going to find out one way or another. It's better to tell him now than to wait." She removed his hand from her arm and proceeded onwards.

He ran his hand through his hair in panic. If she were to tell dad, especially in a time like this, he would most likely feed him to the Nightmare. He already wasn't on good grounds with the chief.

"At least… wait until morning." He pleaded.

Heather stopped and looked back at him. He hoped the desperation in his voice would change her mind. And surely enough, she sighed and shrugged.

"Alright. In the morning. But you have to confront him yourself. I would have other business to attend to by then." And at that, she disappeared into the night.

Hiccup gave a sigh of relief. But the thought of him telling his dad alone troubled him.

It's best if I go get some rest too. He took a good look around the Cove before leaving, almost forgetting about what he had found. He walked up to the sparkling object and picked it up. It was a necklace. One that was crafted so beautifully, even he couldn't whip up anything like that in the forge. It contained gems and jewels that aren't found anywhere on Berk. In the middle of the plate, the rune "A" stood out from everything else.

 _A?_ He couldn't think of anyone that he knew that started with an A.

But seeing as how exhaustion began to take over, Hiccup slipped the necklace into his pocket. He would have to figure it out another time…


End file.
